I never had one mainly because I do not want to hoard too much bulky stuff. The only time I wanted it was when replacing a piece of baseboard when the springy wall would not let me to use a hammer.How often do you use it for woodworking and could you live without it ?

For the kind of work I do, a brad nailer is indispensable. I have a pin nailer, finish nailer and a framing nailer. I bought them when I needed them, but the brad nailer is the only one that sees constant use. I also have a palm nailer that has never been used in 15 years. I tend to be a tool pack rat, but I see it as a good thing; you never know when you might need that tool. For that reason, I always buy the best tools I can afford as I know I can depend on them when the time comes.

You can get the Harbor Freight one real cheap when its on sale and/or with coupon. I find the nailer pretty darn good if you use good nails. The Harbor Freight nails suck big time though. I have the 23 gage pin and 18 gage brad nailer.

I use them both fairly often, mostly for trim work in my house or utility stuff such as jigs, shelfing etc.

I have quite a few from pin nailers all the way up to framing nailers. The pin nailer is nice, but I consider it a luxury.

If I could only have one general purpose shop / trim nailer, it would be an 18 gauge brad nailer with a 2” nail capacity. That will hang most any kind of trim, and is invaluable in the shop for making jigs.

I have tried many, many brands and I am particularly fond of Porter Cable’s current 18 gauge offering.

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

I have a 16, an 18, and a 23 gauge. That pin nailer is really good to have, and I use the 18 gauge a lot too. I think somebody makes a 23 gauge pin nailer that will take normal headless pins and pins with a small head. That would be good to have.

Do I have to have air nailers. no, but they sure do come in handy. They aren’t that expensive.

I needed to install some ceiling in my basement, and decided to use a stapler. I saw Ryobi’s cordless (18 volt) brad shooter in the Depot, and was intrigued because it meant I wouldn’t have to haul the compressor down stairs. I liked it so well that I went back and got the 18 gauge brad nailer as well.

They shoot the fasteners with plenty of force, and a fully charged battery will drive a lot of them. The downsides are (1) they cycle a bit slowly, as the built-in compressor has to build up pressure. I’d say it’s one second or a bit more. You can hear them cycling. (2) they are quite heavy. I decided that it was compensated for by not having to drag the hose around, and that I could live with the weight.

I agree that nailers are nice when you are trying to fasten into something bouncy. And I have been known to miss a finishing nail and leave a ding in a molding. You do have to watch grain orientation, especially when nailing close to an edge, as the nails can take a wrong turn and shoot out the side of the wood.

-- I admit to being an adrenaline junky; fortunately, I'm very easily frightened